


In the Deepest Darkness

by x_Oath_x



Series: Genesis: Side Stories [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Angst, Gen, Not Canon Compliant - Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance, Spoilers - Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance, headcanons galore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-13
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2019-03-17 15:10:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13661589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/x_Oath_x/pseuds/x_Oath_x
Summary: How exactly did Ventus’ protection become a prison for Sora’s sleeping heart?





	In the Deepest Darkness

**Author's Note:**

> Some other warnings can include possible OCCness but eeehhh.
> 
> This right here is my headcanon on what happened between Ventus placing his armor on Sora for protection and the Riku v Ventus(Armor) fight. I’ve played this scene multiple times in my head and had acted it out several times. Technically, this is part of Genesis, but I'm nowhere near writing that part and I'm still trying to figure out the plot at DDD's time so, in case I completely ignore DDD in Genesis, here's this now.
> 
> I hope you guys like it because I REALLY enjoyed writing it~
> 
> Edit: I wrote this like two years ago so some of this based is on what's going on before the new trailers for KH3.
> 
> (honestly at the end of this, this seemed like some fucking romantic tragedy like I ship SoRoku and VanVen like all fuck but goddamn – save me from this oneshot)

 

He had felt it. The forced plunge into darkness, for that was the only way it would happen. By force. Sora would never let his light extinguish so easily unless he was put through the trials and mind games those of that forsaken Organization had put him through. He felt himself grow hotter with tired anger and hatred at the very thought of what he had barely been able to see before.

He closed his eyes, breathing deeply as he tried to calm down.

When he reopened them, he refocused on the person laying in front of him. Cobalt eyes watched the other sleep, covered from head to toe in familiar armor. It was his, but without an actual body, it served no purpose. He could still summon it, however, and after all these years, it was still as easy as when he had left the Land of Departures.

His tentative steps echoed throughout the station of heart, the only light in this darkness. Looking down at the sleeping person, heart, before him, he felt the station beneath him tremble. A small grimace appeared on his face as he manipulated his powers to stabilize the station. He let out a gasp of exhaustion once the task was complete.

He had barely managed to gather the needed power to summon the Dive to Heart to existence and was desperately hoping for a miracle from the outside to appear. His meager defenses against the darkness could only hold so much back – Sora's heart was technically already fallen, but if he could just keep this last bit safe...

He registered the soft footsteps before the hesitant question. “How is he, Ventus?”

Turning, Ventus’ eyes met the sapphire eyes he knew that were mere copies of the one before them. Roxas. To be honest, he had been surprised at their similar blond locks and blue eyes (though if he was honest, the actual first thing he saw from Roxas was Sora's face – it had caught him completely off guard), but he had been even more surprised by the other occupant who had arrived just days before Roxas.

“His heart needs to recuperate and reconstruct itself after being weakened so much. The dark tendrils that Xehanort had forced into him are not making it any better. As one who has rare contact with such darkness, he was ill-prepared to fight it off.” Ventus reported his conclusions in a diligent manner before he turned back to the one lying on the floor. His eyes softened the slightest.

He was hard pressed to believe that the small little heart he had contacted out of desperation would begin to occupy a quite huge and permanent part of his heart. But the proof was right in front of him, and if he wanted it to remain, then he had stay strong against Xehanort.

Once he was sure that they were out of immediate danger, he'd use his powers to force back the darkness the younger Xehanort had put into Sora's heart. From there, Sora's natural light would surely take care of the rest.

After what Sora had done for him, this was the least he could do.

He heard Roxas mumble from his right side. “I did try to stall him so Riku could reach him, but severing the ties between me and him are difficult and hard to put back together…”

“Alright, don’t mention the fact that you appearing in the first place would peak his desire to go deeper into the abyss.” A bell-like voice cut in, laughing a little at the end of their sentence. Roxas frowned a little, squinting his eyes at the new arrival.

They was a pretty young girl with straight black hair that barely reached her shoulders and shimmering sapphire eyes that shone with barely concealed worry despite the attempts to make light of the situation. She wore a long black cloak, one the Organization had forced upon her. Her appearance, abilities, and very personality were only an imitation of Sora’s fragmented memories. A puppet that acted without strings. At least, not anymore.

Roxas, rather than looking abashed, only snorted and turned to face her. “Okay, but why didn’t you say anything? I mean you had more time than I do considering that the ties that hold you grounded are much less difficult than mine.” Roxas berated her, making the other blush in slight embarrassment.

“I didn’t think he’d see… ‘Xion’.” Xion said quietly as her eyes looked down to the floor mural, a large picture of Sora sleeping with his closest friends surrounding him. Roxas’ eyes lost their edge as he came to the same conclusion that Ventus came to.

Ventus knew very well that he had limited knowledge of the goings-on of the heart and how it worked, but after being with Sora for so long as well as come to meet the other fragments who sought shelter in the boy’s heart, he’s come to learn a few things about the power of the heart.

And one of them was that, regardless, the parts of the same heart could always recognize one another. That very rule was what stopped him from attacking Xion and later on Roxas under the guise that they were intruders from the dark.

Roxas looked like he wanted to say something else, but instead he looked off into the darkness that slinking playfully over the projection of light that Ventus cast using his own heart. The other two followed his gaze quickly upon seeing the sudden alertness in Roxas’ stature.

As Sora’s Nobody, Roxas was more privy to what was going on in Sora’s heart than Xion or Ventus, so if he felt that something was wrong, then _**something was wrong**_.

“Hello, _Ventus_.”

And something wrong, there was. Ventus, Roxas, and Xion turned as one to face someone Ventus had thought was gone forever. He hadn’t changed since the last time he saw him. Midnight black hair, that smug and sly smirk, and of course the glowing amber eyes.

“Vanitas? How-“

“Am I not just a weak tendril of shadows?” Vanitas eyes glinted with anger, most likely recalling the state of his body when Ventus had defeated him. His smirk grew deeper. “Using the power that you had oh so lovingly stored over the last ten years and Master Xehanort’s help… I’m back and on a mission.”

Ventus slackened in astonishment; his own power? He didn’t notice a drain in his power at all! Is that why he was struggling to keep the station of heart stable?

Roxas stepped in front of Ventus and Sora in a protective manner while Xion side glanced Vanitas, her feet slowly inching to step in forward as well.

“Mission?” She asked inquisitively. Vanitas’ glower became wild. Ventus couldn’t help but feel as if something was different about the darkness of his heart. Whereas before, Vanitas was calm and took everything with a lax, but dangerous stride, the Vanitas before them was jerky and reacted to everything. He seemed almost… afraid.

“Nice of you to ask, _Puppet._ ” The shadow taunted. All three of them snarled at him, eliciting a mocking laugh before he continued.

“Thanks to being part of _Ventus_ here, I am a permanent part of the fake wielder before us.”

Immediately Roxas got defensive, barely restrained by Xion. He still bared his teeth at Vanitas all the while shouting, “He’s a not a fake!”

Vanitas snorted. “He wasn’t originally chosen, now was he? Hell, even his own Nobody was chosen by the Keyblade over him. Doesn’t that tell you something? Sora was meant to be the one to fall to the darkness – he was meant to join Master Xehanort. Now, he’s finally in his proper position.”

The shadow pointed at them, sneering. “However, along the way, the faker’s heart gained a few guard dogs who just won’t give up. It’s my mission to exterminate you and plunge Sora’s heart into darkness.”

“Over my dead body!” Roxas shouted, his efforts to escape Xion’s hold renewed, even though Xion wouldn’t have minded a go at Vanitas herself. Ventus, however, wasn’t restrained and instantly charged at Vanitas, his Wayward Wind in hand.

Vanitas blocked it easily with his own Keyblade, Void Gear, but had to pull away or else he’d be clipped by Roxas and Kingdom Key. Xion was still with Sora, protecting him with her copy of Kingdom Key. She had let go after Ventus attacked, figuring that he would need the back-up.

Clangs of metal against metal rang through the station as Ventus, Roxas, and Vanitas clashed with occasional spell from Xion on the sidelines. Suddenly, Ventus cried out just as the station trembled immensely. He fell to his knees, gasping harshly and tugging at the spot of his shirt over his heart, trying to stable his heart and the station.

“Ven!” Roxas called out just before he barely blocked a downwards slash before countering with a counter guard attack. Xion was already running to the other’s side, preparing a Cure spell while doing so. The spell didn’t help much, but Ventus still gave her a grateful smile before Xion helped him walk over to Sora.

Vanitas used Slide Dash to move over there quickly, but Roxas blocked him with a wall of light. He jumped on the wall, using it as leverage to boost his speed for a slash across Vanitas’ chest. The shadow stumbled back, barely blocking the next attack and using the blunt end of his Keyblade to knock Roxas off his feet.

Roxas fell to the ground with a loud crash, Kingdom Key flying out of his grasp and clanging to the ground a few feet away.

Smiling victoriously, Vanitas held his blade vertically above Roxas’ unprotected chest but was blown away a few meters back when Xion’s Firaga spell hit head on. Roxas took this time to summon the Keyblade back into his hand and use Strike Raid to force Vanitas to his knees.

All throughout the station, everyone was breathing hard and glaring at the other side. Vanitas was leaning on his Keyblade for support with Ventus having stabled the station and was able to stand on his own. Xion stood off to the side, holding Kingdom Key in a guard stance. Roxas was a little ways in front of them, almost teetering in exhaustion. All over their bodies and clothing, scratches and bloody wounds could be found. Feeling stronger than he really was at the moment, Roxas brandished the Keyblade at the shadow.

“Give it up, Vanitas.”

“Hmp.” The shadow got up on his feet and straightened, his eyes ablaze with anger and contempt. “Give up? As if.”

Stepping forward with his Keyblade, Ventus glared at Vanitas. He pointed his Keyblade dead straight on him while saying, “You should. There’s three of us and one of you and in order to get to Sora, you have to get through all of us.”

They were surprised when Vanitas flung back his head in a fit of hysterical laughter, each pointing their Keyblades threateningly at the laughing shadow. Ventus furrowed his eyes at his darkness – something really was different with Vanitas. But what?

When the black-haired boy was done, he returned each glare with one of his own, a wild smirk on his face.

“Honestly, _Ventus_. Look around us.” He used his free hand to gesture to the station and the light above that was Ventus’ heart.

“This station, that armor, that light, _it’s all you_. The only one I have to get through is _you_.” The unhinged smile Vanitas had was coupled with another hysterical chuckle. Ventus tensed, berating himself for not connecting the dots earlier. If he falls, _then Sora does too._

Roxas, Xion, and Vanitas all jumped forward; two with the intentions of protecting and the last with the intentions of harm. Ventus was about to jump backwards into the safety of his friends, but Vanitas collided with him forcing backwards into Sora. Instead of falling on top of the other, he and Vanitas vanished into the other in a flurry of light.

Roxas and Xion crashed onto the ground in a heap. Xion recovered first, looking around wildly. “Ventus!”

Roxas grabbed her shoulder, pointing upwards when she looked at him. What she saw horrified her – Ventus’ heart was cracking! Just then, the station began to shake. It was shaking violently, forcing Roxas and Xion to lie flat on their stomachs on the station in fear of being flung off their feet.

“W-we have to-“ Xion tried to vocalize, but Roxas cut in.

“I know! I know! Come on – before the station falls apart!” He shouted, trying to gain a proper footing when the glass floor below them started shattering as the darkness outside slithered in. Roxas eyed it with hysteria and panic; it was too strong for Xion and him to fight off.

If Ventus was here -

If Ventus was here -

If Sora was here -

… If Sora disappears -

Squeezing his eyes tight and quickly reopening them to stop the tears that were pricking the corners of his eyes. He could feel him even now; Sora was lost. Throughout those days at the Organization, he had always felt that feeling of doubt and uncertainty, even if he hadn't completely understood what they were or why in the world was _he_ , a Nobody, _feeling_ such things.

But now he knew why – because Sora, his heart, was lost. Whether it be lost in the fragmented chains of his memories or lost in the confusion and scariness of the darkness.

And if Roxas let Vanitas, Xehanort, get to Sora – then, he'll be lost forever.

Suddenly feeling a rush of determination and certainty, he grabbed Xion's arm, hard enough to grab her attention from the quickly disappearing Station, but gently enough not to harm his friend. Tears were falling freely from her eyes, and Roxas felt himself become even more sure of his decision.

When she turned his way, he said (and was very surprised to find himself not stammer over his words), “We'll lock his heart away into the depths of sleep. Xehanort can't have Sora, or at least, not all of him.”

She seemed to become a statue; too shocked for words to reply or retort against his choice of action. Roxas would have tried to break her out of it, or maybe even laughed at the comical face if he wasn't sure they'd be lost to the darkness if he let another second pass by with them still standing in the same spot. Not waiting for her to verbally or physically reply, Roxas all but shoved Xion towards Sora, allowing them both to vanish into him in a flurry of light and colorful sparkles. All the while, he was mentally figuring out all that he needed to do to lock Sora away from the darkness.

He quickly recovered from suddenly appearing on the sandy beach of the islet from Sora's memories.

He tried his best to ignore the state of the ocean or the offshoot island that had either disappeared or had turn that inky purple from the End of the World that haunted Sora's nightmares.

He tried his best to ignore that Sora was no longer far in the ocean like he normally would be as the main personality.

He tried his best to ignore Ventus' crumpled body, unconscious and unmoving on the black dust specked sand.

He tried his best to ignore that everything that made up this heart, the light, the warmth, the welcoming air and serene wind, tried to ignore how it had become forsaken and ugly.

Instead, he raced towards the “secret place” that was actually the pathway to the core of Sora's heart. In there, he'd be able to lock Sora away from the darkness. He barely heard Xion's sudden yelps and cries for him as she demanded to know what he had meant. He bit his lip, near darn ripping through the skin while doing so. Roxas wasn't sure if he would even explain what he meant, it was just something he felt he _had_ to do. The only way he could keep Sora safe.

When he had reached the entryway, he only barely dodged to the right of an incoming shadow of a body. He found himself staring wide eyed when he realized it was Vanitas who had been forced out of Sora's core heart.

The blond-haired Nobody spared the groaning darkness fragment only another glance before he was hurtling himself into the pathway, smiling softly. Even while indisposed, Sora's heart was just as much as a darkness repellent as always. The thought soothed his mind and hurried his steps. He had better reach the core while Vanitas' taint was still fresh.

* * *

When Vanitas had awoken, it was to the sharp end of Kingdom Key poised across his neck. Unfortunately it seemed, he would have to face the weapon with squinted or closed eyes. Normally the spell that Master Xehanort used to keep him from being blinded from the light worked extraordinarily well. However, the faker's heart's light was much stronger than he had accounted for. He had to thank his lucky stars for his abominable connection to his counterpart that had kept the faker from completely eradicating his existence rather than severely weakening the spell and giving him plenty of bruises that would need more than a Cure and Hi-Potions to heal.

He supposed he owed _Ventus,_ the cheeky, little fuck, a sticker and only just a several 'love taps' rather than the complete obliteration he had in mind for the past decade.

Still squinting, he looked at the brandisher of the weapon with a nonchalant expression, barely keeping his scoff to himself. This Puppet was in over their head if they thought their little copy could do much against him.

He went to sit up, only to be reminded, quite painfully at that, that he was far from his element. Hiding his scowl, Vanitas wracked his brain for the scattered memories Ventus and he unknowingly shared between one another for the Puppet's more... unfavored subjects. If he could just catch her off guard and get her out of the way, he could continue this mission and finish it all.

_Don't you dare come back. Put everything you are into this – or else the sacrifice that Ventus had made is for nothing._

“You hold that Keyblade as if you actually know how to use it.” His smirk became more sincere when the Puppet snarled.

“I know enough to put you in your place! How _dare_ you come here!”

He laughed tauntingly at her. “I thought I'd move in with dear old _Ventus_.” The name sounded harsh on his tongue – it was only right as the fuck didn't deserve the name to begin with. “It was just a bit too... shall we say, 'light' for my tastes.”

“Why you -” The sly grin on Vanitas' face made Xion want nothing more than to pound Kingdom Key through it. A thousand times sounded like a _fantastic_ starting number for a countdown.

A soft groan from a little ways away startled the both of them. It left Xion looking straight ahead. Vanitas, noticing her attention was divided, prepared himself and then kicked straight up with his left foot. He let out a satisfied laugh at feeling his foot hit Xion's chin. Kingdom Key desummoned in her surprise.

The force of the kick sent her up and then she crashed down on the ground some ways away, too stunned to immediately retaliate. Only a moment passed before she was scrambling to turn over and face him, her eyes lit with unmistakable hatred and anger.

Grinning at the reaction, Vanitas sat up onto one knee while he steadied himself with his foot and hand on the ground. “Nice try, Puppet. Care to try again?”

“Yeah, I'd like to try.” Vanitas froze when he felt the cool and familiar metal of Lost Memory appear at the nape of his neck. The voice was unmistakable and that Keyblade was a clearer sign than anything else. Trying to save face, Vanitas let a smirk snake onto his lips.

“So you finally woke up, _Ventus_?” The point of the blade poked his neck. A sweat trickled down his face. “You don't have the _guts_ to do that, _Ventu_ s.”

“I had the guts to destroy my own heart to defeat you. What's this compared to that?”

Vanitas' fist clenched – he had to figure out a trump card and fast. His once broken light was not just pulling a fast one. He really would destroy Vanitas if it meant the faker's safety.

The faker's safety.

The faker's heart.

Pieces of the faker's heart.

Vanitas smirked, the confidence in his words sincere and true. “You destroy me – you render Sora in the same position you were in when you got handed over to Eraqus.”

Behind him, Ventus let an audible gasp of disbelief. The Shadow gleefully imagined the horror that must be imprinted on his light's face. “You're lying!”

Nearby, the Puppet looked questioningly between Vanitas and his counterpart. Concern and bewilderment was clear on her copycat face. “Ven? What is he talking about? What does he mean the 'same position'?”

He heard Ventus clench his teeth and thankfully lowered the sharp point of Lost Memory slightly. “Vanitas... is somehow a part of Sora. If we destroy him – we destroy a part of Sora, one we can't replace without outside help.”

If the Puppet was going to make some horrified outcry or shocked gasp at the information, it didn't get a chance to. The beach suddenly shook violently, knocking all three of them to the ground with how strong the tremor was. In his surprise, Lost Memory had been desummoned from _Ventus_ ' hand.

As the tremors continued, Vanitas couldn't help but to laugh insanely – Master must've upped up the darkness input now that the faker's defenses were crumbling. This was turning out better than he had initially hoped for. The entire time of being nervous and anxious between fighting off the guard dogs and successfully attempting to drag his light into the darkness and destroy the last bit of feeble resistance they had against his Master suddenly appeared more worthwhile in his eyes.

Carefully, he picked himself up and summoned his Keyblade into his hands. The Puppet and his light stared at him incredulously as he pointed it at them with widest, and perhaps, maddest grin on his face.

Perhaps _Ventus_ and _Xion_ were opposed to hurting this faker known as _Sora_ – but he had no such sentiments. He had no need for such things. Not anymore.

The two barely had time to resummon their Keyblades as Vanitas charged at them despite the ground breaking apart beneath their feet.

* * *

The door that was in Destiny Islands would lead to the heart of the world; here it would lead to the core of Sora's heart. And Sora was right there in front of said door.

Surprised, Roxas could hardly skid to a stop right before hitting the back of his Somebody. Thankfully, he swerved out the way and came to Sora's side, resting a hand on his shoulder. He didn't react, he never does.

“Sora? What are you...” He wondered just why Sora was here, but he let himself trail off. He supposed that the projection of Sora in his heart couldn't very well stay in the tainted waters of the ocean. Though, why he was here? Roxas didn't have a clue.

“The door...” Sora's eyes were focused on the wooden door with elegant markings in front of them. He turned to look at it as well, eyeing the shimmering crown of light that was placed near the center of it. Roxas recognized it as Sora's Mark. Absently, he fingered the metal 'x' that was on his zipper with his other hand.

Each one of them, except Xion who could create fake ones for the most basic of operations, had a Mark of some sort that allowed them access into parts of the heart or allowed them to do certain things.

Ventus, for example, had his own realm within Sora's heart that only he could access at anytime. Though, he had given Roxas and Xion permission to come whenever they wished. It was where he tended to be unless the outer membranes of the part of his heart that overlapped with Sora's were disturbed. Otherwise, he was sleeping and recharging his power within that realm. However, as he was initially and still partially is his own heart, he has absolutely no access to Sora's core. That would explain why Vanitas, as the other half to Ventus, couldn't access here either.

Xion was, more or less, a part of Sora. Though, considering her lack of power within the heart, she was a lesser part. She was just strong enough to have her own, much smaller realm but it had no protection and held the appearance of Castle Oblivion. Xion acted indifferent to her lack of her power here, much more preferring watching over Sora's memories below the 'sea floor' than spending time in her realm.

Roxas' Mark was the most powerful, after Sora. He, too, had a realm of his own, and he could perform nearly any operation or wander into whatever sector of Sora's heart he wanted – except wretch complete control from Sora.

But Sora's Mark not to work here of all places?

“ _Sora needs you, Roxas.”_

Namine's words, spoken so long ago, were still as clear as when she had first said them to him. He hadn't completely understood them then, and, to be honest, he wasn't sure he completely understood them even now – but he knew that he had a part to play.

Raising the hand that had been on Sora's shoulder to the door, he let out a sigh of amazement when he saw his Mark, the stylized 'x' on his zipper, appear on the door right next to the crown. The two Marks shimmered, their auras rapidly brightening then fading as a crack appeared in the middle of the door. Creaking loudly, the door split into two, each mark on one side.

An image of Sora going behind the door and it locking behind him came into his mind. He blinked and the image went away. Sora was still beside him, no longer staring at the door but now at the darkness that hid the core from view. He let out an inaudible sigh as he moved to push Sora in. Roxas stopped short when Sora's hand grabbed his wrist, his body turned slightly to him while still staring at the darkness.

 _(Roxas was clenching hard on Sora's wrist – willing him to stop before things got even scarier. The darkness had already ravaged the beach into bits, and it was threatening to swallow him and Sora whole. Roxas squeezed his eyes and tightened his hold so hard that he was sure he was seeing white and Sora would have a horrible bruise on him. He wanted to let go, but he felt that if he did, he'd be lost to the same self-hatred and sorrow that had suddenly encompassed Sora's heart._  
  
“You beat Demyx, okay? Please come back!” He was stammering, words were spilling out as he tried to reason with Sora. “Please! You taught him a lesson – he can't hurt you anymore. It's okay.”

 _Those eyes, glowing that eerie yellow of a Shadow Heartless, were not Sora's. Not the Sora he knew. The Sora who had always seemed so far away never seemed farther than he was now. Sora who was staring right at him, tears falling down the sides of his face. Steeling his nerves, he repeated once more._ “You're not a traitor.”

_It was like an explosion. Roxas was shell-shocked to see the islet, once covered by the impenetrable darkness, practically get stripped from it and its former beauty and serenity return. Underneath his hold, he felt Sora tremble before the boy was leaning his head against Roxas' shoulder. He could barely heard the murmured words before he was suddenly whisked away from his Somebody by an invisible wind and sitting on the beach, facing the back of his Somebody._

“I'm sorry.” _)_

“I'm sorry.” Roxas couldn't say anything as he felt Sora (the heart? The person?) tremble. “I wasn't strong enough to... to...”

For not the first time, Roxas was reminded of why Sora needed him.

When Sora, the true Sora, had become a Heartless, the heart that was taken away became the Shadow Heartless. It moved on its own volition and instincts and nothing more. The body that had been left behind – a shell that formed a conscious mind of its own. It became the Nobody with only the barest of ties to the stolen heart, only to create its own in the end.

Sora, the heart.

Roxas, the body.

Whether anyone else had realized it, the true Sora had never actually returned. He was still in pieces. Fragments that needed each other when the other couldn't handle it alone.

Sora needed him to be the stabilizer to his wayward emotions and impulses.

Roxas needed Sora to balance his extremities and callous thought processes.

“ _You deserve to be your own person.”_

Maybe he did deserve it. Maybe he did want to have his own life and heart separate from Sora's – but if given the chance, could he do it? Could he truly leave Sora who has acted as little more than a conspicuous innocent to an unknowing savior of lost ones?

He didn't know. He didn't know and he blamed Sora for it. This person was an unknown jailer. One who coddled and welcomed his prisoners with open arms, not even knowing that there were bars holding them captive from the outside world.

Oh, they could slip through the cracks and they certainly have on occasion.

But each time had left their jailer hurt – vulnerable.

What kind of jailer made his prisoners guilty for leaving? Made them want to give everything they are and have to protect them?

What was exactly is Sora's heart even supposed to be? A prison or a sanctuary? Purgatory? Roxas had the hardest time figuring it out.

Another tremble. The shaking was worse. Sora was no longer breathing regularly and it appeared like he would fall at any moment.

Forcing his inhibitions down his throat, Roxas shook his head at the brunet. He took Sora's arm and slung it over his shoulder, holding his Somebody's 'body' against his own. Hurriedly, but still being careful not to jostle Sora, he helped him go past the door and gently let him sit down on the darkened ground. When he looked at his face, Sora's normally vacant face had turned into one of confusion.

He would've laughed if he couldn't see cracks starting to appear near the entrance of the “secret place”. He moved to block Sora's vision of the entrance as Two Become One appeared in his hand in a flash of light. His upcoming actions were clear. It seemed to spark a change in Sora's demeanor. Gone was the blank look or the side glances.

Sora's eyes widened suddenly. They were clear.

And they were looking at _him_. Sora was trying to crawl, on those trembling hands and feet for _him_. He was opening his mouth in a silent scream and his shaking hand trying to point at _him_ (behind him? At the chaos outside of the core? Maybe.).

A gentle, yet sorrowful smile tugged at his lips as the doors began to close.

How long has he been wanting, waiting for those eyes to look at him?

How long has he been wanting, waiting for them to finally, truly meet?

How much longer does he have to wait for that day?

“No! Roxas – the darkness!”

Brandishing the Keyblade at the nearly closed door, Roxas felt the world – his sanctuary – shift into one of nightmares. Sora's eyes, as much as he could see of them anyway, were _pleading_ , _desperate_ , _scared_.

“It's okay, Sora. This time, we'll protect _you_.”

* * *

Td;lr (or headcanons in bullet form)

\- Sora is actually just a fragment of who Sora (from pre-Heartless KH1) was. He and Roxas make up most of what True!Sora was – though Ventus, Xion, and Vanitas do make up smaller parts with Ventus and Vanitas having the least amount of substance in his heart. Sora is the main personality as he is the heart and it's hard for the others (most importantly, Roxas) to break their ties to him without causing harm to either him, themselves, or both.

\- Roxas has a really hard time describing his relation with Sora because on one hand –though they can co-exist perfectly fine, there's always going to be a connection between them and he really wants to be personally close to Sora. On the other, he's longing for an existence that's not tied so closely to Sora, as well. At the same time, he's not sure if it's right to blame Sora for events and choices that had consequences that he didn't even know or have a direct hand in despite the fact that a part of him does blame Sora. Especially when Sora himself believes that Roxas deserves to be his own person and treats/acts like he is.

\- The inner workings of Sora's heart is based off KHDDD when the outer appearance of Sora's heart is the islet of Destiny Islands at sunset. It's the 'hub' as we'll say as all the major and minor pathways connect to the beach and the like. The door that would normally lead to the other side of the islet is the doorway to Ventus' realm which is a copy of preEraqus death!Land of Departures. When in despair or sad, it turns into the post!Eraqus death!Land of Departures.

Xion's is Castle Oblivion (though it has the potential to transform into the Paopu tree island when she's content) and is the door to the other side of the islet. She doesn't like it and prefers hanging around in the hub, Ven's realm, or in Sora's corridor of memories.

\- The treehouse is Sora and Roxas' shared “bedroom” with doors leading to their own separate realms. The actual room is Sora's and Roxas' bedrooms split in half that tends to blend together on occasion. Roxas switches between raining!The Land That Never Was when angry or sad and the default is Twilight Town. Sora's is a hill overlooking a wide plain with a river and more hills (happy place much). Vanitas is the hole of the waterfall; it's essentially a super dark cavern that only Vanitas can navigate with no issue.

\- Vanitas can see in the dark.

\- Sora, as the main personality and the one usually in control, cannot directly see or sense what's actually in his heart. So when he “says things” he's literally thinking out loud in his heart and he's never directly looking at Roxas, Xion and the others. Roxas is the only one who can encourage a “conversation” between them as a sort of “back-and-forth” between the “heart” and the “mind”. The ocean is actually the ocean of “emotion and thoughts” with the part closest to the shore being his most logical thoughts and the further out you get, the more emotions tend to mix in with said thoughts. Sora can be commonly seen out in the ocean looking up (a screen of the happenings of the outside world can be seen so Roxas and the others can see). His back is towards the shore unless sleeping (then, he's in Roxas' and his shared bedroom on his bed asleep), and no one can reach out to him or venture too deeply into the ocean without a “wind” whisking them back to the shore. Any interference Roxas, Xion, Ventus, and Vanitas want to do is limited and has a constraint on their wills and abilities.

\- During times when Sora's emotionally weak/vulnerable, he'll retreat into his heart and becomes more conscious about the happenings within his heart (this often leads to the next dominant personality – Roxas – appearing in the outside world). This is when he's best responsive to Roxas and sometimes Ventus. As in the story, where his body is completely succumbed to the darkness, Sora slowly reels back from his body to his heart just enough to walk from the ocean to the door. His heart was already planning on locking itself away, but needed Roxas' help to fully complete this.

\- Vanitas met up with him when he first arrived and Sora essentially kicked him out.

\- Ventus and Vanitas have, more or less, become parts of Sora. While they have their own heart, they're very closely linked to Sora where if something happens to Sora, they'll feel the consequences as well and vice versa.

\- On that note, Xehanort essentially sent Vanitas on a suicide mission.

\- Vanitas, as pure darkness, has an extreme weakness to light. He sees things based off their radiation of light and is a lot more comfortable in the darkness. That's why he was initially wearing a mask (to hide his eyes from the light). Xehanort created a spell that keeps Vanitas' eyes safe from the light. Since he's in Sora's heart, a heart naturally tuned towards the light, as well as Xion reflecting said light (based off Sora's heart), Roxas sharing that same light, and Ventus being pure light, his retinas might as well had been gauged out by lava. However, due to what he had accomplished during the mission, the radiation of Sora's heart had dimmed enough to where he can see if he's careful enough to squint/Sora's heart can't hurt him fatally as he is recognized as a part of Sora. He can actually heal within Sora's heart given that he finds and stays within his realm.

\- It's implied from the novels that Vanitas remembers the most of being Ventus and considers himself closer in personality to who Ventus was compared to Ven. While he is kind enough to consider his counterpart a part of what Ventus used to be, he has never truly forgiven Ven for forgetting Ventus and him. Also, he really hates Ven for destroying his Unversed as their destruction causes him extreme pain.

He does respect that Ventus has grown powerful enough to be a true counterpart to him and more or less considers it an opportunity to rejoin with Ven to recreate Ventus. His biggest goal in life is to become Ventus again – so while he goes with Xehanort's plan on toughing Aqua up as a plan B, he ultimately places his bets on Ven.

\- The heart reveals aaaaaaaaalll. Which is why within Sora's heart, the Keyblades Ventus and Roxas' changes from Wayward Wind and Kingdom Key to their own more personal ones like Lost Memory and Two Become One.

\- The first time Sora went into Anti-Form was against Demyx. I say this because it's a rather emotionally charged moment surrounded with multiple other emotionally charged moments before and after. It messed him up really bad. No one else knows about that moment except Roxas, Sora, and Demyx (who's fear-stricken face is the last thing Sora sees of him. Ever.). Sora pretends it didn't happen, Roxas is haunted  _for_ Sora about it, and Demyx is gone. :)

 


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